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Pineapple Bun/Story
Fondness Story I. Comfortable Daily Life Sprawled on that soft and puffy sofa, it was as if my entire body were about to be swallowed whole. That soothing feeling made me unwittingly let out a tiny moan. Turning over, I gently called out to Master Attendant, who was reading a book by my side. "Master Attendant~" "Huh?" Master Attendant didn't even lift their head to respond. "Would you get me a cup of juice, please~" Before I could even finish my sentence, I received a merciless refusal. "I won't." Those two words were as natural as eating or drinking; they had been repeated uncountably many times. In them, there was an indifference that could span a thousand miles. "Maaaaster Attendaaaaant~" I pouted and whined, the very picture of playing cute. "Help me, pleeeease~" "Pineaaaapple Buuuuun~" Master Attendant set down their book, putting on a smile that didn't quite reach their eyes, and in a perfect imitation of me, called my name. Immediately, they changed their tone of voice. "Do it yourself!" "Waaah, Master Attendant doesn't love me." Burying my face in the sofa, I let out cries of anguish. "If one glass of juice means I don't love you, then my love is truly pathetic," Master Attendant responded in a huff. I sneakily raised my head to take a peek; the hand they were using to flip the pages of their book hadn't stopped at all. "You always used to help me." Accessing the situation, I continued my cute act. "Ugh." Master Attendant let out a long sigh. Reluctantly, they closed their book and, as if admitting defeat, walked to the refrigerator. "Hehe~" Safe on the sofa, I wiggled happily, vocalizing my satisfaction. "Take it!" Master Attendant vengefully pressed the ice-cold juice container to my face. "Haha." Nonchalant, I reached out to take it. As I opened it, I could hear Master Attendant's complaints - exasperated and yet begrudgingly amused. "If you're not even willing to walk five meters, you're going to laze yourself to death." "Please, I'm not even lazy!" Nestled into the sofa, sipping my fruit juice, I flipped through the copy of Pearl Travel Diary by my hand and couldn't resist making a retort. "My dream is to travel the world, after all." "Then before you do that, you should buy yourself a wheelchair. You can use it in the house and outside." "Master Attendant, you shouldn't be so rude." "Pineapple Bun, you should be ashamed of your lazy ailment." "Alas!" "Alas! What do you mean, alas? Drink a little less juice, dinner is soon." "Okay..." II. The Carrot and the Stick “Honestly, Pineapple Bun, do you know how long you’ve been cooped up in the house?” One afternoon, as I was shrinking into the sofa again, these words - which I had heard so many times before - sounded in my ears. “Ah, don’t worry~ I’ll go outside eventually.” After casually deflecting with a few perfunctory words, I returned to the travel guide in my hands. I knew that Master Attendant would only bother me for a little bit, for in the end they always spoiled me. But this time... Master Attendant directly sat behind me and pulled me into a hug. Resting their head on my shoulder, they flipped through the travel diary in my hands. “You haven’t gone outside in sixty days.” Letting them hold onto the book, I curled into Master Attendant’s embrace and complained bitterly, “I won’t go out! I won’t go out! If I go outside I lose!” “This kind of statement isn’t cute at all.” Saying this, Master Attendant’s fingers stopped on a certain page of the travel diary. “Do you know where this is?” “Of course!” Master Attendant’s question was practically belittling me. I raised my head and replied confidently, “Little Spirit Mountain, one of Light Kingdom’s famous peaks. The scenery is so beautiful that it was judged by Pearl Travel Diary to be a unique and divine sight.” “Ah! You’re quite versed in this,” Master Attendant responded. “Of course, I’m as familiar with these scenic spots as anyone could possibly be.” Proudly, I raised my eyebrows. “Then did you know this Little Spirit Mountain is just two kilometers from our house? A few steps from the east gate will take you there,” Master Attendant continued, casually. I felt as though I had been struck by lightning; my smile petrified on my face. “So what I’m saying is, you really should go out.” Master Attendant closed the travel diary, heaved a sigh, and cupped my face in their hands so they could stare into my eyes. My bravado faltered. “But... but going outside is troublesome.” “Aren’t you afraid of becoming a vegetable?” “You... y-you’d take care of me, r-right?” “I’m currently considering if I should abandon you.” “W-what, are you serious?” “Maybe I’m joking now, but if you really don’t go outside...” “...but going outside is really...” “Recently, some compatriots have suggested I summon a more obedient food soul...” “Ah! Don’t! I'll go! I’ll go, isn’t that enough?!” “It’s a deal!” III. Journey “Pineapple Bun, it’s almost ten.” Master Attendant sat in their chair, holding a watch, and unceremoniously announced this to me. “It’s only ten...” I pulled my blanket over my head and burrowed into my bed, mumbling. “I’m just going to sleep a little longer~” “What did you tell me yesterday?” Master Attendant’s voice drew closer and closer. As the bed suddenly sank, the sound reached right by my ears. “B-but.” I carefully poked my head out of my covers. “Getting out of bed is so difficult...” “Then I’ll go with someone else. You can make your own dinner today.” Master Attendant moved to leave. “Oh oh oh! I was wrong! I was wrong!” I shouted wretchedly, reaching out and grabbing at their clothes. “So now you get up...” After dawdling for a long time, I finally washed and dressed myself before very reluctantly making my way to the living room. “Do I really have to go?” “What else?” Master Attendant raised an eyebrow. “But I don’t think there’s a point to going outside. I can always look at those scenes in the travel diary.” I tried my final objection. But Master Attendant was simply unconvinced; they stood firm to their beliefs. “It’s not the same.” “Ah... what about next time, next time...” Looking at Master Attendant’s unyielding face, my voice faded away. “Don’t get mad... I’ll come with you, okay...” “Now that’s right.” Satisfied, Master Attendant nodded their head and held my hand. “Let’s go.” Crestfallen, I followed Master Attendant out the door. The glaring sun shone in my eyes, and without thinking, I brought my hand up to shade my face. In that moment, an unfamiliar feeling appeared in my inner thoughts - as if I really had not been outside in a long, long time. The outside world seemed so unfamiliar to me. For me to be this way... was it really okay? IV. A World Outside Books As a dreadful racket sounded in my ears, I followed behind Master Attendant, step by faltering step. My consciousness had long faded, and now my body seemed to be moving on its own. “I’m going... to die...” My lips opened only to let out an anguished whine. To me, just leaving the house was truly too difficult - not to mention how long we’d been walking. As if they’d heard my pained cries, Master Attendant paused and turned their head to look at me. I had an expectant expression on my face; secretly, I prayed for Master Attendant to say something reassuring - perhaps that we would take a rest, or even... that we could just go home. “Did you know...” Expressionless, Master Attendant reached out and tapped the pocketwatch on their chest. “We’ve only walked for five minutes.” With that, they simply turned around and pulled me forward. “...aaaah!” And as for me, all I could do was moan pitifully. “Have mercy!” We continued like this for who knows how long. Perhaps it was a week? Or even a month? Even if the sky hadn’t darkened, the bitter pain I felt throughout my body made me feel like I’d experienced an entire century. When that rock engraved with the words “Little Spirit Mountain” appeared before my eyes, I was so moved I practically cried. “Not bad. There’s some improvement. You managed to walk with me for an hour.” Master attendant put away their pocketwatch; whether their words were a compliment or sarcasm, I couldn’t tell. “Then, let’s rest for a bit.” That sentence was like water in a desert, like a candle in a blackout. Given such amnesty, I immediately crumpled to the ground. Next, I closed my eyes and passed out entirely. Before my consciousness entirely left me, the last thing I saw was Master Attendant’s incredulous stare. When I woke again, mountain roads greeted me. In the corner of my eye, I could make out the tips of Master Attendant’s hair. “Uh...” Unconsciously, I let out an embarrassed groan. “You’re awake?” Master Attendant said gently, turning to face me. “You scared me. But it seems you were just tired.” “Ah, I said I was no good. Going outside is so pointless,” I complained wretchedly, burying my face in their hair. “Really?” Master Attendant laughed suddenly. Waving their hand, they indicated I should look up. “Then, now that you’ve woken up, you should turn your little head and see where we are.” Following their words, I did indeed turn my head. The sight that entered my eyes left me stunned. Crisp green forest surrounded my body; a light breeze brushed past me. The branches and leaves swayed gently as sunlight threaded through dense foliage, mottled with sun and shade. Along the curve of the mountain, a stream burbled as birds skimmed its surface, singing songs that touched the soul. In the distance, mist shrouded high peaks - visible one moment, gone the next - as if they were splashes of ink on the horizon, mysterious and alluring. ... “Hey, isn’t it beautiful?” Master Attendant quietly interrupted my thoughts. “Yes... very beautiful.” I had yet to recover my composure, so I could only stand there dumbstruck. “And when you see these landscapes with your own eyes, are they the same as in your books?” “They’re not the same...” “Do you like them?” “I like them...” Master Attendant set me down gently and sat next to me on the grass. “So, going out more and seeing more things - it isn’t so bad after all, is it?” “Uh-huh...” In that clear and calming floral fragrance, I laid against Master Attendant’s shoulder, quietly enjoying the natural world. Perhaps, every now and then, this wasn’t so bad. V. Pineapple Bun “Pineapple Bun...” A voice that was more breath than sound arose in the building, full of helplessness and despair. “What?” The cute girl who had been named as Pineapple Bun sprawled on the soft sofa, a snack hanging from her mouth, a drink held in her hand as she flipped through her book and kicked up her feet. “Could you bring yourself to move a little?!” “Eh?” Pineapple Bun wobbled a bit before turning to face her Master Attendant, brows knit and legs swinging. Despite the snack she had bitten into muffling her voice, she responded confidently. “Doesn’t this count as moving? Hey, look!” Saying this, she once again swung her legs. Master Attendant opened their mouth as if to say something, but after hemming and hawing for quite some time, they finally closed it again. Instead, they swiftly came to Pineapple Bun’s side, pulled away her travel diary, and squatted down to look her in the eyes. “W-what are you doing...” Master Attendant’s sudden movements must’ve scared Pineapple Bun, as her tone immediately turned timid. “You...” Master Attendant’s expression was helpless and yet hesitant, as if there were thousands of things they’d like to say - but in the end, they all collapsed into a single long sigh. “When you went outside with me, didn’t you agree to exercise more? Yet it hasn’t even been two days and you’re already like this.” “I... I... I’m already moving, don’t you see?” As if trying to please, Pineapple Bun wiggled her body, the very picture of acting cute. “This cancerous laziness of yours really has no cure.” After saying this, Master Attendant shook their head and prepared to leave. It was at this moment that Pineapple Bun pulled onto Master Attendant’s pants leg and said in a small voice, “But... but...” “What?” “But... Master Attendant, I finished my potato chips. Could you... take them for me?” “...” “P-please...?” Pineapple Bun batted her eyelashes, face flawlessly innocent. “...” “Maaaaster Attendaaaant~” “I surrender. Wait a moment.” “Hehe.” Notes * The official translation is a fan translation by cyn#1598 on Discord Category:Food Soul Story